The BabyHeart team recently returned from the first of four trips to Hospital Zambrano Hellion in Monterrey, Mexico with another successful mission and renewed partnerships. During this trip, 7 children received life-saving surgeries, and 8 children received diagnostic or interventional catheterizations.

Changing Lives

Two heart warriors whose lives were changed during the trip were 12-year old Sergio, and 12-year old Ximena.

Sergio’s Story

When we first saw Sergio, his lips were blue due to the lack of oxygen in his blood, and he was using a wheelchair because he did not have the energy to walk. Sergio came in for a diagnostic catheterization to gather additional data that was needed before a surgical plan could be established for him.

While performing the procedure, Dr. Breinholt and Dra Britton determined that they could partially improve Sergio’s condition by placing a stent in his Right Ventricular Outflow Tract that was extremely narrowed. This temporary procedure allowed more oxygen to travel to his lungs, and he came out of the procedure with pink lips!

The most rewarding sight was to see Sergio walk out of the hospital when it was time for him to be discharged. Later this year, after some time to focus on nutrition and gaining weight, he will be ready for a full surgical repair of his heart.

Ximena’s Story

When Ximena was born, her parents were told she had a complex heart defect called single ventricle. Initially, the doctors told her family that there was nothing to do because Ximena was stable. However, over the years, she began to have less energy, headaches, and her lips and skin were becoming more and more blue.

When Ximena was 6 years old, she had to stop going to school because she became tired too easily from the activity. From that point on, her mother began to provide activities to her to keep her busy and learning. Ximena loves to read, color, and watch YouTube videos on cake making.

Ximena’s family was determined to find a solution to her problem. After many years of searching for a hospital who would treat her and living in fear that something might happen to her, they found Corazones Invencibles–a partnership between Hospital Zambrano Hellion, Fundacion Tec Salud, CardioChavitos, International Children’s Heart Foundation, DIF Nuevo Leon, Gift of Life International, and Rotary International that provides free surgery to children with congenital heart defects.

Ximena underwent a palliative procedure called the Glenn Procedure, and she immediately felt better! Her lips are less blue and she has much more energy than before. She will still require one more surgery to fully repair her heart, but in the meantime, she is looking forward to going back to school and living a more active life!

The goal for 2018 is to change the lives of 60 children through surgeries and catheterizations, and we can only accomplish this with your support. If you are interested in getting involved in this program as a volunteer or donor, please contact us! Together we can save more children in Mexico with CHD.

During our second trip to Havana, Cuba, the BabyHeart team partnered with the medical team at Cardiocentro Pediatrico William Soler to perform 4 open heart surgeries, including the first surgery to repair a complex Congenital Heart Defect at this hospital.

Mauro

At only 8 days old, Mauro was diagnosed with Pulmonary Artresia and a Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD). Even at such a young age, Mauro showed what a warrior he was when he underwent a procedure to insert a Blalock Taussig Shunt to help manage the symptoms of his serious condition and allow him to grow. At some point, however, it was going to be time to permanently repair his complex heart defect. Since Cuba does not currently have access to the expensive conduit needed for this type of repair, the surgery was postponed.

Keeping in Contact

The family maintained contact with the BabyHeart team as Mauro grew to a two-year old. Through the partnership with the medical team at Cardiocentro Pediatrico William Soler, we knew that Mauro was ready for his next surgery. Thanks to the support of Across the Globe Children’s Foundation, the generosity of Maria Pessino, a long-term ICHF donor who has supported our efforts in Cuba and elsewhere for the past 2 years, and the donation of a Contegra Conduit needed for the surgery by Medtronic valued at $5,000, Mauro had his surgery earlier this month, and it was a success. Mauro’s mom, Lisy, expressed how grateful she is to the foundation and the donors who made this possible.

Good Things to Come

ICHF is proud to have been a part of this project at Cardiocentro Pediatrico William Soler. We believe that with the knowledge exchanged during our short time there, this partnership will equip the Cuban team with the tools needed to continue providing excellent care for the Cuban children.

Not all of our volunteers join us on medical missions. Volunteers can use their skills to help us in many ways. Meet volunteer Cristin Bowman, a freelance graphic designer from Atlanta, GA who also likes to dabble in photography. She connected with us through CatchAFire about a year ago, and helps us with designing and producing our trip reports, social media infographics, and other special documents.

Cristin was motivated to volunteer at an early age.

She went to Washington D.C. as a high school student and saw the AIDS Names Quilt. Seeing what people can do when they all pitch in had a profound effect on her. Since then, she has tried to pitch in where ever she can, even if it’s doing something small. That’s why she has chosen to donate her time and skills to ICHF as well as other organizations like the ACLU of Georgia.

A child of the ‘70s

Cristin remembers watching Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman. This might explain her love for comics! She enjoys reading them, blogging about them, and is happy to talk about them to anyone willing to listen. When she has free time, she also enjoys traveling, and aims to visit every single continent one of these days. If you should run into Cristin while traveling, be sure to request her rendition of ABBA’s “Dancing Queen.” She once drew a standing ovation at a Karaoke bar in Kyoto, Japan performing this song on one of her excursions!

Thanks, Cristin, for using your talents to help BabyHeart! We are thrilled to have you on our team.

On our May 2017 trip to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, we met a young heart warrior who loves math and wants to become a doctor when she grows up. Thanks to your support, she now has a chance to make that dream come true.

Mariel

Ever since 12-year old Mariel was born, her parents knew she had a congenital heart defect that prohibited her from exercising. As she grew older she would get tired very easily, and even though she loved swimming and running, she could not do either. About a year ago they learned that her heart condition was getting worse – one of the valves in her heart was not closing properly.

Working Towards a Solution

Mariel’s parents worked together to help her and provide all the services she needed to get by. One day last year, her doctor told them about the BabyHeart Mission coming to Santo Domingo and that they had the opportunity to fix their daughter`s condition. They were fortunate to have been selected by the medical team, and on Thursday, May 18th, Mariel’s heart was repaired. Just 5 days later, she was discharged from the hospital and was recuperating comfortably at home.

Mariel is now looking forward to being able to run and swim without a worry in the world. She is especially looking forward to going back to school where she can study hard, because some day she wants to be called Dr. Mariel.

The BabyHeart Team welcomes pre-med and medical students on our medical mission trips. It’s a great opportunity for students to learn and participate in a health care system that is part of a culture other than their own, and gain an in-depth look into the field of cardiothoracic surgery. One such student who joined us on a recent trip is Sessen Stevens, a pre-med student at the University of Memphis.

Beyond Expectations

Prior to joining the trip, she had no idea of what to expect. Once she joined the trip, she was fascinated to see the interactions between the ICHF staff and the local medical team as they worked together to save lives.

“As a student, I left knowing procedures, defects, anatomy and different components of the surgery I had never known or thought of before! I was also given the unique experience of seeing a beating heart, which gave me a new appreciation for the human body.”

Something to Remember

What had the greatest impact on Sessen was her interaction with the children and their parents before and after surgery. She was able to see first-hand how life changing the operations were for the children, and how much of an impact it would have on their future. Seeing their smiling faces as they left the hospital with their families is something she will always remember.

“I am so grateful for the opportunity that was provided and the ability to go on the trip as an undergrad student. The trip solidified my desire to work overseas in medicine in the future. I’m super encouraged by ICHF, the volunteers and all the donors that are changing these children’s lives forever.”

Free Child Heart Surgeries

7,925 Total Surgeries

Mission Statement

The mission of the International Children’s Heart Foundation (ICHF) is to bring the skills, technology and knowledge to cure and care for children with congenital heart disease in developing nations. ICHF does this regardless of country of origin, race, religion or gender. Our goal is to make the need for ICHF obsolete. We work toward this goal through our medical mission trips, where we operate on children and educate local healthcare professionals.